America the Right Way-Staying Vigilant! 40 months left Aug.31-Sept. 4,2009[Remember 9-11]

All of Us | 8/30/09 | Various news Sources and FRee Republic Members

[Molly Pitcher]

Uh oh....you take extra care, ok??

[Molly Pitcher]

Nice...after what I did today ( moving things around in the garden,errands, bike ride, workout, trip to the range, 2 trips to the nursing home, and 1 trip to symphony office to get music), I could use a little snack!

[lysie]

At least you know what it is. Now, go rest.

[lysie]

Wow! I think you should go rest, too.

[JRandomFreeper]

That sucks. Be better. Follow instructions from your health care provider, unless they want you to walk into a large shower room.

I'm back in Texas for the weekend. Friday night, beer in the fridge, catz are going back to NM with me, and invest in bail-bondsmen.

The phone line that crosses the front yard is only 12 feet off the ground. The truck I'm driving is 13 feet tall. Ooops.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

Friday night, I'm back in west Ft. Worth and I have money in my pocket. This should be interesting.

I'll make a run back to NM on Sunday and let the heat die down.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

Will it kill me or start a botulism epidemic if I open them up and eat them?

If you canned them correctly, and they are Bell canning jars, and the lids are still tight and sealed, they are perfectly safe to eat. The flavor will be off, and weak.

If the seal is broken, and the lids pop up and down when you press on them, THROW THEM AWAY! Jars and all. Then, wash your hands and soak everything in contact with bleach water.

From someone who scored 100% on the last umpteen dozen food safety tests that I was/am required to take.

/johnny

[Miss Marple]

Friday night, having a martini.

Mr. Marple called and Southwest is putting him on a later flight. He will be late, but he will get $348 in credits towards flights he can use at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Sort of like winning the lottery!

[lysie]

The verdict? Peach pie and blueberry pie.

[lysie]

Good to have you back with with money to spend. Have a great time.

[JRandomFreeper]

Sort of like winning the lottery!

Sorta, except without the seat on the flight you were scheduled for. Which can be a good thing.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

I may be stuck here. a) I'm driving a 24' diesel, lift-gate truck. b) The catz are clingy. Like attached to my shirt and won't let go.

I'm not going to get a date this weekend.

/johnny

[lysie]

Who takes care of them when you are gone?

[JRandomFreeper]

My sister. But they won't socialize with anyone but me, or on the internet, and I generally turn off the internet when I'm gone. So she's been putting food and water out for catz that won't come out for her for 2 months.

Her synopsis? "I don't smell anything dead, and the food and water is disappearing, so they must be ok."

They are. They just missed me.

/johnny

[lysie]

They just missed me.

I guess you do have a date after all. Sometimes spending alone time with pets is far more enjoyable than with humans.

[JRandomFreeper]

You've met some of my dates.

/johnny

[Citizen Soldier]

Well, I had peach preserves this morning from the 2004 batch and lived to tell it. The lid was still sealed. BUT if you never see me post again, then you will know I had a delayed reaction. Still waiting to try the Blueberry - lime jam I made. It was delicious at the time of canning. Next on the list, orange marmalade. Thanks for your help too.

[JRandomFreeper]

The lid tells the tale. Don't consume anything with a compromised seal. Correct processing kills the anaerobic bacteria. Good seals keep out the aerobic (but the green fuzz would clue you to the fungi feasting on aerobic).

Other than that, it's all good. I freak out friends and neighbors by keeping (correctly) cured and smoked meats hanging at room temp in NM. Work the available water, protein and acid content correctly, and it's as safe as houses. Work it wrong, die horribly, sitting on a piece of porcelain.

I've been right so far, thanks USAF for the training.

/johnny

[Citizen Soldier]

I was born ane raised in SE Virginia and when I first married we had a friend who was a pig farmer in eastern N.C. (his wife said the farm smelled like money to her LOL!) who kept a couple of smoke houses to cure and store hams. We always bought them at Christmas for our dinner. My mother back in the 50’s sent a Smithfield ham to my aunt in Cleveland, OH and she threw it away because of the mold. My mother had a fit!

[JRandomFreeper]

Ummmm.... hams are supposed to have a slight mold growth. Which your mom obviously knew. Scrape, vinegar and salt it if it's the wrong kind, otherwise, let it flavor the ham like a rare brie cheese.

That Brie Cheese stuff has a coat of mold on it. Not that I sit around and sip wine and eat Brie. Much. Recently. Ok. Maybe a half pound of cheese and a couple of bottles of Chateau Neuf de Pap. But I'm uptown in Ft. Worth... What do you expect from a mountain man?

/johnny